'Big test is winter': Green Bay Police Teslas performing well, GBPD could add more
Dec 18, 2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) - Just about six months into the Green Bay Police Department's Tesla pilot program, the traffic enforcement unit officers that drive the pair of Model Y cars have given them stellar reviews.
“They really like the performance, the ability to blend into traffic flows," Capt. Ben Allen said. “The big test is going to come over the winter. We’re going to see how they perform in the snow, how the battery life lasts for us.”
Allen says there is potential for more Teslas or other electrical vehicles to be added to the fleet if they perform well over the winter or aid in cutting expenses for the department, which was the primary reason the pilot program began.
The officers enjoy driving the Teslas, but the the department leaders need to evaluate what makes sense financially.
“We want to be able to gather enough information to make educated decisions on what we’re going to do with the Teslas moving forward," Allen said. “We really want to get through the winter before we make any hard decisions on that. We certainly know that there is a decrease in gasoline usage because of the two Teslas, but we also want to evaluate what the increase is in our electrical consumption.”
The unmarked, seemingly normal Teslas with hidden light bars have been effective in pulling over speeders, but an unexpected, positive result of the Teslas has been the reaction from pulled over drivers.
“They blend in. And people are surprised when all of a sudden they’re behind them and getting pulled over in a Tesla of all things," Allen said. “‘That’s a Tesla? You’re pulling me over in a Tesla?’ So it kind of breaks that ice as opposed to someone who’s upset about being pulled over, the typical response we get.”
Even if Teslas provide a cost cutting solution for the department in fuel saving, another aspect that will have to be examined is how they would perform in a police chase, according to Allen.